Invitation (2)
Invitation (2)
I didn't have any particularly grand memories of my school years.
That wasn't to say I had especially bad memories either. I just went to school like everyone else, and graduated like everyone else. My grades were neither outstanding nor terrible, and I thought I was able to make a decent number of friends.
Although I never did get a girlfriend.
I was an otaku, and my friends were otaku too. We never went on trips far away together, but we did swarm conventions, pool our money to buy comic books, or flock to a PC bang after exams.
Yes, they were definitely the sort of trivial memories that couldn't compare with what I'd been through here at the academy. They weren't vivid enough that I could remember exact dates, and honestly, I could count on one hand the friends I'd kept in touch with until the end. I was at the point where I couldn't even recall some of their faces or names.
Even so, maybe because this was still a school for teenagers, attending it had a strange way of bringing those days back to me.
"We'll be saying goodbye for a while."
The first person to speak was Charlotte.
The school letting out early during exam period was the same here. Taking advantage of that, we'd gathered right away and wandered around.
We strolled aimlessly through the streets outside the school, and spent time sitting in a café, sipping tea and eating parfaits. We talked about such insignificant everyday things that I couldn't recall exactly what the conversation was about; we laughed and chattered.
It hardly felt like any time had passed, but already the sun was sinking beyond the horizon, dyeing the sky crimson.
"You're going back to Lutetia?"
"I must. I am the princess of Belbur, after all."
To Alice, who sounded a little regretful, Charlotte replied with a faint smile.
"But I'm sure we'll see each other again soon. The break isn't that long."
The vacation was a little over a month, so barring anything unusual, we would meet again when the second semester began.
But considering those words more deeply, they also meant that after graduation, we wouldn't be able to see one another so easily anymore.
If Charlotte were merely a Belburian noble instead of the princess of Belbur, perhaps she could visit Rondarium for a few days each year. She could see Alice again, leisurely share tea and talk about how things were, stay for a few days, and then say goodbye and go home.
The reverse was true as well.
But both Alice and Charlotte were profoundly important figures in their respective imperial and royal houses. Although it hadn't been publicly announced yet, Alice was the leading candidate to become the next emperor, and Charlotte had no particular siblings.
"......."
Perhaps because such thoughts had crossed her mind, Alice's expression was a little somber.
...... If events followed the original story, these two would become enemies. Of course, Alice would eventually oppose the emperor to end the war and reconcile with her, but that joy didn't last long.
Charlotte gazed quietly at Alice for a moment, then abruptly extended her hand.
"Well then, I shall see you after the break. And if you ever visit Lutetia again...... I'll make certain to show you that Belbur's cuisine is far superior and more varied than the Empire's."
Only after seeing Charlotte speak with deliberate provocation did Alice laugh.
She then clasped Charlotte's hand and said,
"The Empire's cuisine is also improving rapidly. Come back in ten years or so. By then I'll treat you to a meal that even a Belburian won't be able to dismiss so easily."
Charlotte gave a light shrug.
"I understand that Lena will be returning to the Autonomous State as well."
"That's correct. I've already finished packing."
Lena replied to my question at rigid attention. Even in this weather, she wasn't wearing short sleeves. It seemed she believed that adopting lighter clothing would cause her military spirit to flee.
Not that Lena was impervious to the heat, of course.
On the contrary, since she had lived in a region where even summer was cool, this weather probably wasn't easy for her to endure. Her nape was, in fact, a little damp with sweat.
"I will hone my skills thoroughly, so that by the second semester I will no longer be a hindrance to Her Imperial Highness."
Lena seemed to have taken to heart the fact that we had gone to the other dungeon last June without her. She hadn't openly shown that she felt slighted, but she apparently considered it a matter of course that her own inadequacy was the reason.
Though Lena's grades certainly weren't low.
"Um......."
As she was speaking, Lena made a hesitant noise, which inwardly surprised me a bit. Because seeing Lena act like that, so openly in front of others, wasn't an everyday occurrence.
After a moment of fidgeting, Lena looked at me and carefully said,
"May I...... write you letters?"
I almost laughed for a moment.
Honestly, I hadn't done much that deserved Lena's admiration. Chronologically speaking, the only time I'd really done anything in front of her was running across the training grounds, and that single moment seemed to have left a very strong impression on her.
She'd already admired me after hearing about what happened on the battlefield, but that moment must have been the decisive one. She'd seen with her own eyes how I fought, after all.
"Of course."
When I answered, the corners of Lena's lips twitched upward.
*
We didn't go out of our way to see the two of them off at the train station. The station would already be impossibly crowded due to the academy's break, and if two imperial princesses were to appear on top of that, the place would practically grind to a halt.
Charlotte would board the first-class cabin, and Lena the northbound train with relatively few passengers, but the departing station was the same. The area near the academy, where major incidents rarely occurred, was one thing, but if an imperial princess wanted to go somewhere full of unidentified members of the public, she needed a whole string of bodyguards.
Airships weren't yet used for civilian purposes, and although passenger aircraft were rumored to be under development, they still hadn't been commercialized. So, unfortunately, we exchanged our farewells in advance within the academy grounds.
"Well then...... I'll be going too."
Mia Crowfield spoke in a voice that was still rather timid.
"Thank you for everything. You've been a great help."
"Oh, no, I didn't......."
At Alice's words, Mia Crowfield blushed and ducked her head.
And then—
"......."
She looked toward me with a somewhat complicated expression.
"Thank you for everything you've done for me."
And with those words, she bowed her head.
There was no staff in her hand. Since it was the last day, students couldn't be allowed to walk around the academy grounds carrying weapons.
But the fact that the blue jewel shining at the end of that staff had come from me hadn't changed.
Come to think of it, that was a jewel she wouldn't have been able to obtain by this point in the original timeline.
Thinking that, her expression didn't seem odd at all.
"You've worked hard."
I returned the bow to Mia Crowfield. A flustered look crossed her face for a moment, then she quickly turned around and hurried away with quick little steps.
"Ah, you don't need to bother saying goodbye to me."
A light male voice spoke up while I was watching her retreating back with a mixture of satisfaction and disappointment.
I turned to see Jake.
With his loyal maid beside him.
"We're planning to stay about one more day before heading out."
Lottie shot a glare at her young master for acting so casual in the presence of two imperial princesses, but Jake's attitude didn't change in the slightest.
"Even so, you should still say goodbye."
Alice said.
"We're planning to leave today ourselves."
"Oh, really?"
Jake's expression seemed to ask what the hurry was since we were all on the same capital island anyway, but Alice simply shrugged and replied,
"Since we're all on the same capital island, it's easier to just get things done quickly, isn't it? And even if we leave first, we can leave our luggage here for a while, so who cares?"
It wasn't as if we'd be the ones packing it up ourselves, after all.
"I suppose so."
Jake was probably staying so he could spend an extra day here with Lottie, though.
"Then I'd better say goodbye now. It's been a pleasure. See you in the second semester."
"Try to come back as a man with a little more gravitas next semester."
At Alice's remark, Jake merely laughed cheerfully.
*
"Th-then......."
Leo spoke with a look of intense tension.
"As the next head of House Grace, I would like to invite both Your Imperial Highnesses to my family's territory."
"......."
Alice was looking at Leo with a mildly dumbfounded expression when she replied.
"You don't need to be so formal. Even among nobles, when you're personally acquainted, people often just speak casually."
"Th-they do......?"
"No, I mean, the polite speech is...... never mind."
Alice let out a deep sigh, and Claire rubbed her face.
"Well, I did receive a very formal invitation."
Alice's expression turned a bit playful. She stood facing Leo, lightly pinching the hem of her skirt with both hands.
"I gladly accept your invitation."
Then she shifted one leg slightly back, bent only her knees without lowering her head, and executed a graceful curtsey.
It was no wonder that Leo's face reddened even more.